University of Liberia Honors Several Long Serving Employees

Monrovia – The University of Liberia (UL) has retired and honored several long-service staff for their dedication to duty over the years.

Ceremony marking the retirement and honoring of the long-service staff was held Friday, December 15, 2017 at the Fendall Campus of the UL, outside Monrovia.

According to a UL release, the retired and honored staff served at the state-run university from 12 to 53 years.

Speaking at the special honoring program, UL President Dr. Ophelia Innez Weeks described the honoring of the staff as very important, because it was the celebration of the time and dedication of the retirees in their respective capacities while serving at the University.

Dr. Weeks said it was their contributions together with others that have got the university where it is today, noting that a professor is not better than a janitor because they all have significant roles to play in the administration of the university.

She lauded the honourees and their families for their time rendered the University, while at the same time at the same time encouraged them to always stop by whenever there was a need to do so.

The honoring and retirement of long-service staff is an annual event that concludes commencement activities of the UL.

This year’s honoring program was the first for Dr. Weeks since her inauguration as president of the university in September of this year.

Speaking earlier, the visiting Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor A. Idowu Olayinka, said whatever the UL must have achieved over the last 98 years of its existence can be attributed to the people who are serving the institution.

“Without human capital no institution can succeed,” noted Professor Olayinka as he thanked the retirees and administration for organizing the program.

He then promised to take the idea to his university upon his return.

Responding on behalf of the honourees, a former maintenance officer of the Plant Operation Department of the UL, Mr. Peter Tomah, thanked the university’s administration for the honour bestowed on them.

Mr. Tomah stated that though he has been retired, he will always be around to help in whatever way he can.

Former Maintenance Officer Tomah, who served the university for 53 years, said he did so because of his passion to serve his people and country.

He among other things used the occasion to urge the university to review some of the courses that are being taught as electives to be offered as major courses, noting that some of them could be the areas from which graduates could make their living.

Meanwhile, 18 professors and staff, which included three females, were retired and honoured during the retirement and honouring program.

The program brought together the honorees and their families, friends and loved ones as well as administrators of the University of Liberia.